Automatic locking car seal



Feb. 26, 1935. R, KRAUSE 1,992,868

AUTOMATIC LOCKING CAR SEAL Filed March 3, 1934 Patented Feb. 26, 1935AUTOMATIC LOCKING CAR SEAL Richard Paul Krause, South Bend,: Ind.i Y XApplication March 3,

Claims.

This invention aims to provide a novel means for sealing car doors,heaters, tanks, hampers and the like. The invention .aims to providenovel means whereby a wire of circular cross 5 section, either solid ortwisted, may be used of devices of that type to: which the invention.

appertains.

With the above and other objects in view, which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention resides in the combination andarrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafterdescribed and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise.embodiment of the invention herein disclosed,

may be made within the scope of what is claimed, without departing fromthe spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 shows in plan, a device constructed in accordance withtheinvention;

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3--3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4--4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 51s a sectional view with parts in elevation, showing the slidepartially in place.

In carrying out the invention, there is provided a case 1 of tubularform, the case preferably being made of metal. The case 1 is fashionedfrom a single strip of metal, bent upon itself to form a closed end 2and an open end 3, and to form a. first side wall 4 and a second sidewall 5, disposed opposite to each other. These walls 4 and 5 aretrough-shaped, as Fig. 4 will show. They have transverse reenforcingribs 6. Upon their longitudinal edges, the walls 4 and 5 of the case 1are supplied with outstanding flanges, interlocked by bending, orconnected otherwise, to form beads 7. The walls 4 and 5 are inclinedtoward each other, near to the closed end 2 of the case 1, so that thecase, at its closed end, has a tapered portion 8. Located within thecase 1 is a keeper 9. This keeper 9 is in the form of a tongue, joinedintegrally at. 10 with the outer end of the wall 5, as shown in Fig. 2.In the wall 5, a seat 11 is formed, in which the keeper 9 is received.The longitudinal edges of the seat 11 converge toward the outer or openend 3 of the case 1, as shown at 12, and the longitudinal edges of theiesijserial No. 713,914.

(01. 292-s1s) a keeper 9, marked by the numeral 14, are correspondinglyinclined, the. keeper, therefore, fitting closely andctightly in theseat 11. The keeper 9 has a reduced end 15, located near to the closedend 2 of the; case 1. As shown at 16 in Fig. 2, the end of the keeper 9is slightly inclined away from one of the parts that form the taperedportion 8 of the case 1. Intermediate its ends, the keeper 9 is suppliedwith an inwardly inclined tongue 17. a

The numeral 18 marks a slide,.preferably in the form of a strip ofmetal. At itsouter end,

TENTjOFFlCE the slide 18 has a hole 19 which may be used for variouspurposes, such as hanging up the article or carrying it; on a wireorring (not shown), The slide 18 has a first hole20, located in thelongitudinal central line of the slide, and. slightly, nearer to theinner end of the slide than to the end ,of the slide which has the hole19. An inclined resilient latch 21 is struck from the inner end of theslide 18. The slide 18 has a second hole 22 and a third hole 123,.spaced apart both longitudinally and transversely of the slide, anddisposed between the hole 20 and the latch 21. The inner end of theslide 18 may be strengthened by a longitudinal rib 24, disposedbetweenthe holes'22 and 23.

The numeral 25 designates a link, in the form of a loop of wire, one endof which is hooked at 26 through the hole 23 in the slide 18.

In practical operation, one end of the link. 25 is hookedat .26 throughthe hole 22 of the slide 18. and one side portion of the link isthreaded through the hole 20 of the slide. The slide 18 is inserted intothe open end 3 of the case 1 and is pulled to the right in Fig. 5 untilthe latch 21 on the slide engages temporarily with the tongue 17 on thekeeper 9. This stops the slide 18 in such a position that the hole 23 inthe slide is just outside the open end 3 of the case ,1, the hole 22being within the case, as shown in Fig. 5. The link 25 is extendedthrough any article (not shown) which is to be sealed. The link 25 thenis extended through the hole 20 of the slide 18, and the end of the linkis hooked into the hole 23 of the slide.

The slide 18 is advanced into the case 1 until the end of the slideengages one wall of. the tapered portion 8 of the case 1, as shown inFig. 1.

The resilient latch 21 of the slide 18 snaps into engagement with theend 15 of the keepers), and the slide is locked in the case 1, with bothends of the link 25 housed within the case. i

The reason for having the longitudinal edges 12 of the seat 11 in thecase 1 converge toward the open end 3 of the case 1, and for having thecorrespondingly shaped longitudinal edges 14 of .the keeper 9, is tomake it practically impossible to open the device by pulling on the link25 or the slide 18 until the keeper unfolds outwardly in the directionof the arrow A in Fig. 3. So far as movement in the direction of thearrow A is concerned, the keeper 9 is wedged in the seat 11 of the case1.

The device is simple in construction but will be found thoroughlyefficient for the ends in view. It affords a simple means whereby apiece of wire or the like may be used to form the link 25, and when theparts are assembled as shown in Fig. 2, an opening of the seal isimpossible unless the person opening it resorts to the destruction ofthe seal, in which event the opening will be manifest upon inspection.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. In a seal of the class described, a tubular case, one end of which isopen, a slide insertible into the case, the slide being provided with anopening, a loop-shapedlink comprising side mem bers, the intermediateportions of which are extended through the opening of the slide, meansfor connecting the ends of the side members of the link with the slide,the ends of the side members of the link being housed within the casewhen the slide is advanced sufficiently into the case, andautomatically-acting latch means on the slide and on the case forholding the slide advanced in the case, with the ends of the sidemembers of the link housed within the case. i

2. In a seal of the class described, a tubular case, one end of which isopen, a slide insertible into the open end of the case, and having holesnear to its inner end, the slide being provided intermediate its endswith an opening, a loopshaped link comprising side members, theintermediate portions of the side members of the link being extendedthrough the opening ofthe slide, and having hooks engaged in the holesof the slide, the hooks being housed within the case when the slide isadvanced sufiiciently into the case, and automatically-acting latchmeans on the slide and on the case for holding the slide advanced in thecase, with the hooks of the link housed within the case.

3. In a seal of the class described, a tubular case, one end of which isopen, a slide insertible into the open end of the case, a loop-shapedlink comprising side members, means for connecting the side members ofthe link with the slide, the ends of the side members of the link beinghoused within the case when the slide is advanced sufficiently into thecase, and automatically-acting latch means for holding the slideadvanced in the case, with the ends of the side members of the linkhoused within the case, said automaticallyacting latch means embodying akeeper extended into the case from the open end of the case, the slidehaving means for engaging the keeper, the case having a seat wherein thekeeper fits, both the seat and the keeper being tapered toward the openend of the case, thereby to wedge the keeper in the seat and render itdiflicult to pull the keeper outwardly through the open end of the caseby pulling on the slide or the link.

4. In a seal of the class described, a tubular case, one end of which isopen, the opposite end of the case having an inclined portion, a slideinsertible into the open end ofthe case, a loopshaped link comprisingside members, means for connecting the ends of the side members of thelink with the slide, the ends of the side members of the link beinghoused within the case when the slide is advanced sufiiciently into thecase, a keeper extended into the case'fromthe open end thereof, andinterengaging elements on the keeper and on the slide, the slideengaging the said inclined portions of the case, to cause said elementsto interengage, when the slide is advanced into the case.

5. In a device of the class described, a tubular case, a keeper extendedinto the case, the keeper having a terminal latch element, and anintermediate latch element, a slide insertible into the case andengageable with each latch element, the slide having longitudinallyspaced second and third holes, a loopshaped link having its ends engagedin the second and third holes detachably, the second hole being housedinaccessibly within the case, and the third hole being without the casewhen the slide is engaged with the intermediate latch element, thesecond and third holes being within the case when the slide is engagedwith the terminal latch element, the slide having a first hole which iswithout the case when the slide is engaged with the terminal latchelement, the loop-shaped link comprising side portions, both of whichare extended through the first hole of the slide.

RICHARD PAUL KRAUSE.

